Aug. 14, 2010 KHARTOUM, SUDAN — Like any aspiring pro-democracy movement, the young Sudanese activists needed a name. They picked Girifna, Arabic for “We are fed up.”They chose orange for their color and the V-for-victory sign as a logo, then began distributing their first pamphlet. Challenging the ruling party was risky in a country where […]
Where’s Gration today?
July 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment
A quick note courtesy of free wi-fi – thanks Dubai airport. Just read a report in the Sudan Tribune that U.S. envoy, Scott Gration, will not be attending the meeting in El Fasher today that is supposed to bring together the (expansive) number of international envoys and mediators involved in “resolving” Darfur. It would be […]
Four years on, nothing learned
February 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment
“Hey, I heard on the radio that there’s a peace agreement for Darfur!” was the excited message a non-Darfur-obsessed friend (I do have a few) greeted me with yesterday. “Hmm” I replied, un-enthused – clearly not the response my friend was expecting. At the time I hadn’t read the actual agreement just signed by the […]
New report on disputed census results
February 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The Geneva-based Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre has just put out a new report on the disputed Sudan census entitled An Incomplete Exercise. I don’t have time to summarize the report, which highlights a number of concerns raised to me when I was in Khartoum last year, but have pasted its recommendations below: Recommendations
The killing of Mohamed Musa Abdella Bahraldien
February 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment
[Editorial note: There was date error in the email originally pasted into this post. I have since had it confirmed from several sources that Mohamed Musa was abducted on Wednesday Feb. 10 and was found dead yesterday Thursday Feb. 11. I have asked Dr. Gasim to send a corrected notification] I know you don’t know […]
No criminal
February 8, 2010 by 2 Comments
You showed us the crime but not the criminal – is the basic message from the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I to the Prosecutor. At 103 pages their actual decision is significantly more detailed than that, but in essence the judges decided not to confirm the charges against Abu Garda not because they do not think […]
ICC judges do not confirm charges against Darfur rebel Abu Garda
February 8, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The decision on the confirmation of charges (this is the “substantial grounds to believe” stage) in the ICC Prosecutor’s case against Darfuri rebel leader Abu Garda has just been released. The Prosecution was charging Abu Garda with three counts of war crimes related to the 2007 attack on the AMIS peacekeeping base at Haskanita. The […]
AU reaction to ICC Appeal decision in Bashir case
February 5, 2010 by 1 Comment
Hi all Book drafting taking priority over commentary here, but just to keep you updated re. reactions to the Appeals Chamber decision on the Bashir arrest warrant, I’m posting below the communique released by the African Union. In short they are continuing an anti-ICC position. One thing that did strike me when I was speaking […]
Legal std used to reject genocide charge for Bashir was wrong
February 3, 2010 by 1 Comment
In a straightforward delivery before a packed public gallery, the Presiding Judge in the ICC Appeals Chamber, Erkki Kourula (Finland) handed down the Appeals Chamber’s unanimous decision to reverse the Pre-Trial Chamber’s (PTC) decision with respect to the legal standard on which the PTC rejected the Prosecutor’s application for an arrest warrant for Bashir on […]
Parallel processes
Enough has posted an interesting play-by-play of the Doha process that is worth the read. It states that “The African Union-United Nations mediators, the Qataris, and the U.S. special envoy all seem to support the parallel negotiation track.” What Enough is referring to when they talk about a “parallel negotiating track” is that the Doha […]